中国文学英译絮谈

沙枫

“葬花诗”三种英译

张其春在《翻译之艺术》一书中，谈到翻译的“周密”（precision）时，拿《红楼梦》的《葬花诗》英译为例，举了这两句：

侬今葬花人笑痴，
他年葬侬知是谁？

林语堂的英译如下：

This year I am burying the dropped blossoms,
Next year who is going to bury me?

“人笑痴”三字，未译出。

张其春说：“林译成简洁有余，缜密稍嫌不足。”

作者举另一英文译文如下：

As I now bury the flowers they laugh at my conceit,
Some future years when I am buried——who knows by whom?

这两句，显比林译缜密。首先，“人笑痴”三字是译出了。其次，“知是谁”译作“Who knows by whom”，译到十足。这两句，是王际真译的，他是《红楼梦》一书的英译者。

柳无忌在英文《中国文学概论》中，也译了这两句，译成如下：

People laugh at me for burying the flowers.
But who would bury me when I pass away?

看来，这两句，柳译还不及王译。

现将《葬花诗》最后八句及两人的译文录后，以便作一比较。原文是：

尔今死去侬收葬，未卜浓身何日丧？
侬今葬花人笑痴，他年葬侬知是谁？
试看春残花渐落，便是红颜老死时。
一朝春尽红颜老，花落人亡两不知！

王际真的英译如下：

Now that you are dead and gone I am here to bury you.
I wonder when the day will come when I too shall die?
As I now bury the flowers they laugh at my conceit,
Some future years when I am buried——who knows by whom?
Look! Spring is waning; and one by one the flowers are falling.
Now also will the radiant maiden age and die.
Some morn when spring has departed and the maiden has grown old,
The flowers will fall, the maiden, die——neither knowing of the other.

柳无忌的译文如下：

I am here to bury you when you fall;
I wonder when will come the day of my death?
People laugh at me for burying the flowers,
But who would bury me when I pass away?
Look, spring is waning and flowers have been falling,
That is the time when fair maidens too wither and die.
One morning spring departs and youth grows old——
Flowers fallen, the maiden dead, one unaware of the other.

“一朝春尽红颜老，花落人亡两不知”这两句，看来则是柳译较佳了。